Abstract
In the present investigation, feasibility of dairy waste water (DWW) and distillery spent wash (DSW) effluents in increasing the growth and yield of two species of oyster mushroom, Pleurotus flabellatus (PF 1832) and P. sajor-caju (PS 1610) on abundantly available agro-waste, bagasse, was evaluated. Three different levels of treatments were applied for each effluent. The effects of amendments on the result were observed in terms of yield, biological efficiency (BE) and substrate dry-matter loss. BE was found to be the highest (66.63 ± 1.0 %) for P. sajor-caju grown on bagasse amended with 10 % DWW and lowest for Pleurotus controls. While P. sajor-caju performed better on bagasse amended with DWW, P. flabellatus was more suited to grow on DSW amended bagasse. Degradation of complex molecules was in accordance with substrate dry-matter loss and the respective yields. The biochemical analysis of mushroom fruit bodies showed them to be a rich source of protein (maximum 36.40 %) and sugars (maximum 41.58 %). The study thus proved to be beneficial for effective management of the waste by employing higher order fungi as well as obtaining nutrient-rich delicacy for the mass.